President Donald Trump’s anti-fraud efforts have brought renewed focus on issues plaguing the welfare system.
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| “The aim of education is the knowledge not of facts but of values.” |
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| Ivan Pentchoukov
National Editor |
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| Ivan Pentchoukov
National Editor |
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Good morning! It’s Wednesday. Here are today’s top stories: |
- Benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, went to 185,986 deceased people in 29, at an annual cost of $419.6 million, according to a new report from the federal government.
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The House of Representatives passed a $72 billion bill on Tuesday to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature.
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Democratic voters in Maine nominated oysterman and military veteran Graham Platner as their candidate to take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), locking in the nominees for one of the most critical Senate elections of the 2026 cycle.
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The United States launched retaliatory strikes against Iran on Tuesday after President Donald Trump accused Iran of downing a U.S. attack helicopter a day earlier.
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🍵 Health: What no one tells you about contrast in CT and MRI scans.
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A store displays a sign for Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) purchases in New York City on Oct. 30, 2025. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) |
President Donald Trump’s anti-fraud efforts have brought renewed focus on issues plaguing the welfare system, including the millions of dollars in food stamps that are being sent to dead recipients.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report last month stating that benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, went to 185,986 deceased people in 29 states as of July 1 last year, at an annual cost of $419.6 million. It also reported an additional $3 billion in potential fraud, waste, and abuse.
On May 21, a federal jury convicted a man who stole the identity of Carlos Ramon Obregon, who was killed in a 1977 Los Angeles drive-by shooting. Decades after the 14-year-old’s death, the defendant used the dead teen’s identity to collect about $283,000 in government benefits, including SNAP benefits, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and COVID-19 payments.
That’s just one example that the administration has outlined to highlight the issue. Here’s what to know about the problem of dead recipients, which has been lingering for decades. Trump directed federal agencies via executive order in March 2025 to ensure “unfettered access” to data from federally funded state programs such as SNAP, also known as food stamps.
In response, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service told state agencies on May 6, 2025, that all records associated with SNAP must be made available to the federal government. “For years, this program has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote in a letter to states.
Following the USDA’s demand for detailed information on food stamp recipients to review for fraud, a coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit against the USDA, accusing the agency of unlawfully demanding massive amounts of sensitive SNAP recipient data. (More)
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People shop at a grocery store in New York City on March 12, 2025. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) |
Many Americans are concerned about the quality of the nation's food supply. Questions have been raised about processed foods, sugar, food additives, genetically modified ingredients, and their potential impact on public health. The Epoch Times invites you to share your views on the state of American food and its impact on health and well-being.
The results will be featured in an article published this Saturday. (Take the Survey) |
Steve Hilton speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum in Sacramento, Calif., on April 14, 2026. (Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP) |
- Republican Steve Hilton secured enough votes in the race for California governor to advance to the general election in November. He will face Democrat Xavier Becerra.
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Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison over the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet.
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The Trump administration notified more than 500 hospitals that they must publicly post their prices as required by federal regulations or face fines that could reach $2 million per year.
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The trust fund that Social Security uses to pay retirement benefits to tens of millions of Americans could run out by 2032 unless Congress acts, according to an annual trustees report released Thursday.
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A Republican named Dan Sullivan is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan for his Alaska Senate seat, and party officials are challenging the candidacy as an effort to help Democrat Mary Peltola.
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- NASA and European Space Agency leaders gathered in Houston to unveil an all-star crew of astronauts assigned to the Artemis III mission and its challenge to bridge the gap between Artemis II’s historic lunar flyby and Artemis IV’s prospective lunar landing.
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Texas is racing to contain a flesh-eating parasite that can infect animals and, more rarely, humans, causing horrific wounds that can be fatal if left untreated.
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Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic released a “Mythos-class” model to the public on June 9, two months after the company rolled out the Mythos model only to a limited number of government and industry users over concerns it could be weaponized by the wrong people.
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Prediction market platform Kalshi announced a series of upgrades to combat market manipulation and insider trading. The changes include employment verification requirements for certain bets and expanded whistleblower reporting tools.
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Harley-Davidson is planning to move production of its Revolution Max engine back to the United States, years after shifting some of that work in Thailand.
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Merck is settling a lawsuit that went to trial in 2025 and alleged its human papillomavirus vaccine caused a number of health problems, including Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
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A federal judge has deemed Decarlos Brown Jr. incompetent to stand trial for the fatal train stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska last year.
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The Ateela 2 Oil Tanker boat navigates the sea on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz, on April 28, 2026. Asghar Besharati/Getty Images |
- The U.S. military disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that violated its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
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The population engaged in “flexible employment” in mainland China has exceeded 300 million, according to a recent report. Observers told The Epoch Times that by rebranding gig workers, temporary staff, and platform-based workers as those with “flexible employment,” China’s ruling Communist Party is using statistical rhetoric to downplay the persisting high unemployment issue.
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The Murder of Henry Nowak and the Poverty of the ‘Far-Right’ Explanation—by Patrick Keeney (Read)
- The Life and Times of Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite—by Jeffrey A. Tucker (Read)
- The Iran Conflict Is Currently Neither War nor Peace, but One Side Holds All the Cards—by Conrad Black (Read)
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The Executive Order That May Change the Vaccine Debate Forever—by Dr. Robert Malone (Read)
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The Patrouille de France conducts a flyover above the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, in New York City, on June 9, 2026. (Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images)
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Regina Chennault felt the burning the moment the contrast entered her vein. The MRI came after a devastating car crash on the way to MD Anderson Cancer Center. She and her 12-year-old son, who was battling Stage 4 cancer, had been driving to his treatment when a drunk driver slammed into their car. Chennault, a trauma surgeon, lost movement in her right arm and suffered multiple spinal injuries. Over the next several years, she underwent 15 MRIs, 12 with gadolinium-based contrast. As her symptoms worsened, doctors ordered more tests, including CT scans with iodinated contrast. Her thinking became clouded. Simple tasks, such as tracking her son’s medications, became difficult. Her skin burned. Her hair fell out in clumps. Her kidneys slowed.
“I was told in medical school that gadolinium was safe, like ultrasound,” Chennault, who trained at the Texas Medical Center, told The Epoch Times. “That was a lie that lasted 25 years.”
Every year, millions of people undergo CT and MRI scans with contrast agents. These are not simply dyes but drugs, each with its own risks, clearance timeline, and trade-offs. Yet most patients leave the imaging center knowing almost none of this.
Lack of information about the drugs can make people wonder whether they need to “detox.” In most cases, they do not. The strongest protection is asking informed questions before the scan. Afterward, the best support is usually simple and includes knowing what to watch for.
For most people with healthy kidneys, iodinated CT contrast is eliminated rapidly—nearly all of it leaves the body in urine within about 24 hours, according to the American College of Radiology. The main concern is not long-term retention but whether the kidneys can handle the temporary load and whether an allergic reaction occurs. (More) |
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Thanks for reading 🙏 Have a wonderful day! |
—Ivan Pentchoukov, Madalina Hubert, and Kenzi Li. |
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